1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a chip carrier maker for manufacturing a row of interconnected chip carriers, more particularly to an adjustable tape-positioning apparatus for a chip carrier maker.
2. Description of the Related Art
In this art, a chip carrier maker is designed to make a row of interconnected chip carriers shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, which are integrally formed with each other to form a tape 1 that is made of a thermoplastic material. Each of the chip carriers has a square recess 11 for accommodating a chip (not shown) therein, and several holes 12.
Referring to FIG. 2, in the conventional chip carrier maker 2, a tape 21 is fed from a tape supply unit 22 along a straight path on the maker 2 and is then machined in several machining units which include a heating unit 23 for heating the tape 21, a press unit 24 for pressing the tape 21 to form recesses therein, and a punching unit 25 for punching the tape 21 to form holes therethrough. Subsequently, the tape 21 is moved by a gripping unit 26 to a winding unit 27 in which the tape 21 is wound.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the tape 1 has a straight first side 1A and a straight second side 1B which are opposite and parallel to each other.
To make chip carriers of different widths, a conventional adjustable tape-positioning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is provided on the maker 2. Referring to FIG. 3, the conventional adjustable tape-positioning includes a stationary frame 31 and a generally T-shaped abutment member 32. The frame 31 has a vertical plate 310, a horizontal plate 312 with a slide slot 313 that is formed therethrough and that extends in a direction transverse to the tape, and two parallel vertical side plates 314 formed with aligned notches 315 through which the tape extends. The abutment member 32 includes an L-shaped sliding element 320, an adjustment bolt 321 extending through the sliding element 320 and the slot 313 to engage a nut 322, and a horizontal abutment plate 323 which is connected fixedly to an upper end of the sliding element 320 and which has a straight positioning slot 324 formed in a vertical side surface thereof. The abutment plate 323 extends into the notches 315 of the frame 31 so as to confine the first side 1A of the tape 1 (see FIG. 1A and 1B) within the slot 324, thereby preventing vertical movement of the first side 1A of the tape. Although the abutment member 32 can be moved on the frame 31 in a direction transverse to the tape, the sliding element 320 and the abutment plate 323 can rotate about the adjustment bolt 321 and cannot position accurately the tape at a desired location. In other words, after the abutment member 32 is adjusted, the abutment plate 323 may deflect from the straight path along which the tape is moved on the maker 2 (see FIG. 2). Under this case, the tape cannot move smoothly on the maker 2 (see FIG. 2) due to the fact that the sides 1A, 1B of the tape deflect from each other. As a result, when the tape is machined on the maker 2 (see FIG. 2), the recesses 11 and the holes 12 cannot be formed in predetermined positions in the tape.